Author Archives: russellmckinney

Find Things for Which to Be Thankful

A subway car was overly crowded, causing several people to have to stand. Naturally, most of them were griping about the situation. As the car pulled into another station where still more people boarded, one standing man said to those … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Complaining, Contentment, Disappointment, Perseverance, Problems, Salvation, Suffering, Thankfulness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Walking in Truth

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3rd John 1:3, N.K.J.V.) A man was on trial for murder. All the circumstantial evidence strongly indicated his guilt, but the police hadn’t been able to … Continue reading

Posted in Choices, Counsel, Deception, Decisions, Demons, Discernment, Doubt, God's Will, God's Word, Satan, Seeking Advice, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, The Devil, Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Swimming at Your Own Risk

One summer, when the boys were young, we had one day left on our beach vacation. So, we used that day to give the boys a final opportunity to enjoy the ocean and pool. This had been the first year … Continue reading

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Confession, Disobedience, God's Chastening, God's Judgment, God's Word, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Scripture, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Logic Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #3) We’ve been in a series of posts on the question of why we should believe in the virgin birth. With the two previous posts, we learned that we should … Continue reading

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christmas, Death, Depravity, Virgin Birth | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bible Prophecy Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #2) This is the second post in a three-part series on why we should believe in Christ’s virgin birth. With the first post, I explained that we should believe in the … Continue reading

Posted in Bible Study, Christ's Birth, Christmas, Prophecy, Virgin Birth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scripture Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #1) In the December 25th devotion from his classic devotional My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes: Jesus Christ was born into this world; not from it. He did not emerge … Continue reading

Posted in Bible Study, Christ's Birth, Christmas, God's Word, Scripture, The Bible, Virgin Birth | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recalculating

In my last post, I mentioned G.P.S. systems as examples of the otherworldly technology that now passes for our normal, everyday lives. I remember the first time that Tonya and I used one of those systems for our family’s vacation … Continue reading

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Disobedience, God's Love, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Grace, Obedience, Repentance, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

G.P.S. and Armageddon

By now, even the most “old school” of us know about G.P.S. systems. G.P.S., as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, stands for Global Positioning System. When these systems first hit the market, they were small devices that … Continue reading

Posted in Bible Study, Christ's Second Coming, Coming Judgment, God's Word, Prophecy, Scripture, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of Speaking Up

In the summer of 2011, Tonya and I loaded the boys into the Dodge Caravan and headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a vacation. Ryan was fourteen years old at the time and Royce was ten. One experience … Continue reading

Posted in Church Discipline, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, God's Work, Honesty, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Persecution, Personal, Problems, Reward, Sanctification, Service, Sin, The Tongue, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“My Cross Is Too Big for Me to Bear”

A Christian woman was forced to continually deal with a ongoing problem in her life. Eventually, she faded into total self-pity. Time and time again she told people, “My cross is too big for me to bear.” One night she … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Complaining, Contentment, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Perseverance, Problems, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment